The present invention relates to a lighting device of a grille which is mounted at a front of a car stereo.
Development in electronic technology has caused it possible to manufacture a multi-functional, sophisticated, compact, and precisely controlled car stereo. As a result, a combination car stereo has become to be widely used instead of a component car stereo. For example, a mechanical preset tuner is changed by a phase-locked loop (PLL) tuner, and a cassette tape player is logically controlled. In addition, the power of the amplifier is increased for operating four speakers. Such a sophisticated car stereo is provided with a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel for indicating operational states of the car stereo. The LCD panel is back-lighted.
FIGS. 14 to 16 show a grille 1 of a conventional car stereo. Referring to FIG. 14, formed on the front panel of the grille 1 are a CD opening 2 at an upper portion thereof, and recess 1a under the opening 2. On the back side of the grille 1 is formed a recess 10 having a cassette opening 10a which communicates with an opening formed in a body of the car stereo as shown in FIG. 15.
An operation flap 4 is rotatably mounted on a lateral shaft 3 (FIG. 15) mounted in a lower portion of the recess 1a so as to be fitted therein. The flap 4 is downwardly opened for an access to the cassette opening 10a.
As shown in FIG. 16, the operation flap 4 has a base plate 8 disposed in a rear portion of the flap 4, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 5 disposed at a front portion, a lens 6 disposed in a housing 7 interposed between the base plate 8 and the LCD 5. Each of the elements 5 to 8 has a planar shape. A plurality of lamps 9 are mounted each side of the flap 4 so as to back-light the LCD 5 through the lens 6.
Underneath the recess 10, a lens 11 and a lamp 12 are provided to illuminate the opening of the recess 10. On the right and the left sides of the flap 4, a plurality of push buttons 18 and 17 are provided (FIG. 14). The buttons 18 and 17 are illuminated by lamps 16 and 15, through lenses 14 and 13, respectively which are disposed in the grille 1. Thus, the lamps 12, 15 and 16 are lit to illuminate various portions of the grille 1, which is convenient when driving a motor vehicle at night.
As shown in FIG. 16, since lamps 9 are provided at the side portions of the operation flap 4, the thickness of the flap is increased. Thus, if the front plane of the grille is to be flat, the thickness of the entire grille 1 must be increased. In addition, the lamps 12, 15 and 16 for illuminating the recess 10 and push buttons 17 and 18 cause the temperature of members in the grille 1 to rise. Furthermore, since the recess 10, and push buttons 17 and 18 are independently illuminated by the lamps 12, 15 and 16, respectively, the entire grille is not evenly illuminated, lacking unity in the lighting effect.
FIGS. 17 to 19 show a grille 1b which can be detached from a body 1A of a car stereo. The grille 1b has a cassette opening 2a at an upper portion thereof, through which a cassette tape 2A is inserted, and an LCD panel 4a at a center portion of the grille 1b. The LCD panel 4a comprises the housing 7 wherein LCD 5 and a lens 6a behind the LCD 5 are held, and the base plate 8. At the both sides of the lens 6a, a plurality of lamps 9a are provided in the housing 7 so as to back-light the LCD 5. The lamp 15 is provided at a side of the LCD panel 4a so as to illuminate the push buttons 17 and 18 without any lens.
In the detachable grille 1b, in addition to the problems inherent in the grille 1 shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the lamps 9a and 15 are disposed far apart from one another. Moreover, since the lamp 15 directly illuminates the push buttons 17 and 18, the luminance is low.